Islamic State invasion of Iraq

Significance

In June 2014, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant launched a sweeping offensive from the Iraq–Syria border toward the outskirts of Baghdad, seizing approximately 40 percent of Iraqi territory. The assault followed months of fighting in Anbar province, where tribal groups and factions aligned with ISIL had already been contesting Iraqi government forces in Fallujah and Ramadi after anti-government protests had destabilized the region. The offensive exposed the severe institutional failures of the Iraqi Army, several elements of which collapsed without sustained resistance, and it triggered mass atrocities against Yazidis, Christians, and Shia Muslims in captured areas. The scale of territorial loss and the humanitarian crisis compelled both Iran and the United States to intervene directly, providing military assistance to Iraqi government and Kurdish forces, and set the parameters for the multi-year conflict that would define the Iraqi Civil War of 2014–2017.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (18)